Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well, you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all…… About our writing of course! Every Tuesday we’ll all answer the same questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site, we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride. Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

Have you always written romance?

I have always written psychological thrillers and crime/ police procedurals. Romance is a new element that I’ve added since I joined RWA and SSRA.

I’ve always had some sort of sensual element in my thrillers. But they usually did not conform to RWA standards. For example, my protagonist might have a relationship with the killer or multiple partners. In RWA that’s a no-no unless, for the latter, it’s erotica.

So now, I am conforming, and my hero has a different love interest so that in Gemini, this thriller has a romantic element, not romance as the main plot.

How do you deal about criticism of the romance genre?

I haven’t really come across criticism per se. Many people like to talk about it, though. I usually get into discussion of the various heat levels that a romance novel can be structured around. Mine are considered spicy to sizzling with alpha male protagonists. And when I’m asked why I like to write with high heat my response is usually ‘That’s where my mind goes. And where my characters take me.’

What is the one thing about your genre that you’d like people to know?

For me personally, when I write a romance with consummate sex, which all of my novels will have, I want readers to know that the story, the plot is what’s going to be majorly driving the novel. In most romances no matter the sub-genre, be it paranormal, suspense, historical, the story takes precedence.

What we’re writing is not porn. Some people do equate romance novels to porn. That is the furthest from the truth. And it could be quite damaging to our genre. We also don’t add gratuitous sex scenes just for the sake of adding sex. Every scene we add, every chapter we add, pushes the plot forward. We learned to be very cognizant of that.

And one more thing I’d like to add that I’d like everyone to know about writing romance. It’s fun! It’s wiggle in your seat, sweaty, fun!

I had to laugh one time when my pastor referred to romance novels as soft porn. I wanted to ask him if that was true of inspirational and sweet romances too. Obviously he had a stereotype mindset about the genre as many people do.

Sign up to my newsletter here. You'll immediately get free access to my special report on GemstoneHealing. PLUS the newsletter will keep you privy to special offers and giveaways when my novels are released!